The time has come to continue my little storytelling. Lean back, make yourself real cozy and take a big sip of coffee. You're going to need the caffeine pumping through your veins. This ride is going to be a long one. At least it was for us.
Day two started with bagels and orange juice for breakfast. I mention this because every other day, apart from a few lucky exceptions, our mornings started the same. "Breakfast included" means starting your day off with sugar. Loads and loads of sugar. Well, and coffee. Let's not forget about the coffee. It was a vital part of our road trip life in the US. Our sugar infused bodies then began our drive from LA up to San Francisco.
Oh, sweet San Fran. I don't even remember how often we struck the name off our list in those final weeks before going on this trip. It wasn't that we weren't desperate enough to see it. It was more a matter of distance and limited time. Once I've finished this story and covered all our route stops along the way, you'll realize what a detour we had to take to squeeze it in. San Francisco, you're in luck. You were too irresistible to not have us pay you a visit.
We spent our whole first day at the West Coast in a car up North. Northwest to be exact. But I'm not complaining, there wouldn't have been a better way to start off a real road trip. We had to leave the City of Angels, even though we barely set foot in it.
Bearing that in mind, we decided to at least take a short drive through the Hollywood Hills. Passing by various mansions on Mulholland Drive was the best we could come up with for getting a glimpse of the life of the rich and famous. After all this madness we picked up a large cup of Starbucks coffee and were good to go. Like I said before, coffee was crucial.
There's nothing much to tell about an almost six hours car journey up to Monterey. However, I have to admit that driving by the ever-changing landscapes of California for the first time is an adventure in itself. Okay. Back to the main storyline. Monterey, ladies and gentlemen, is the charming little town we picked to meet up with the three musketeers we said goodbye to at LAX around 24 hours earlier.
The plan from there on was to cover the remaining miles to San Francisco on Highway 1. Hwy 1 follows the coastlines and is known for its scenic views. Views we could've only wished for on that day. Once we got there, the seven of us were greeted with a heavy cloud cover and misty air. And as the minutes to sunset, followed by nightfall, passed, the sky and its surroundings turned from dark grey to pitch-black. I tell you, great sunset. We just didn't get to see it.
Taking the 'not so scenic' scenic route still had its benefits, because untouched nature and rain equals a scent out of this world. It's worth it, even if you have to put up with a stream of cold air rushing in through your window the second you open it. Driving into The City a while later was nothing short of spectacular. San Francisco is magic, regardless of wether it's day or night.
The rest of the night was shortly spent with checking in at our awesome hotel. The Alise San Francisco - A Staypineapple Hotel was one of my favorites in terms of accommodation. The rooms aren't that spacious, but they sure are cute af, that is if you like pineapples. Haha.
After ten minutes of admiring our hotel for the night, it was time to meet an old friend of one of our travel crew. Spending some time with a local can always be recommended. The first stop was at a thai food place, as we were all starving by that time. The second and final stop happened to be at a bar named Local Edition. If you're ever in San Francisco and want to spend an authentic night out with good cocktails, go there. I promise you, you won't regret it.
The End. Only of day two of course.
I know, for the lack of activities we did on that specific Tuesday back in April, I had quite some things to say about it. Details are key, at least in my little blogging universe. For an outside observer, like you, it may seem like a bit too much rambling on my part. And for all I know, that might even be true.
However, at the end of the day, I mainly write these posts as a little West Coast road trip diary for myself. And this fact justifies just about everything I have to say in them. Nonetheless, I truly hope you, as a reader, get something out of it as well. If it creates only a tiny fraction of a wish in you, even the slightest spark of desire, to pack your bags and go on a West Coast road trip yourself, it was worth every last letter.
On day three I'll show you around The City for a bit, so stay tuned for the next post.
And in case you missed the first West Coast post, I'll hand it to you on a silver platter now: Right here.
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